NOTES BY PASQUIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1975, 26 September 1889, Page 28

NOTES BY PASQUIN.

Mr Rickards and the members of his new English and Irish Comedy Company arrived at the Bluff on Monday by the Waihora, and reached Dunedia next day, they were to open at the Princess Theatre on Wednesday evening. There are what may be termed two " shows " in one — a comedy company and a specialty company . The opening piece will be " Ma-in-Law," which is said to be highly entertaining. The season will be conducted on the same lines as during the Sydney and Melbourne seasons. Mr Riekarda brings with him entirely new scenery, and the stage furnishing has been entrusted to Messrs Scoullar and Chisholm.

The members of the company are entirely new to the colony, they having recently been engaged in England for an Australian season. In addition to the comedy company proper there are 12 special artists. Mr James Bell was for many years the leading spirit in Bell's Minstrels, who made their name in the English provinces ; Miss Ada Delroy is a burlesque actress and danseuse ; then there are the Liliputian Midgets; the Murphy family, Irish character delineators, who bring out the wit and fun of their countrymen ; the talented mandolin and guitar songsters and instrumentalists of the Spanish Students, who were (secured after that troupe disbanded; Mr Davys, who was a member of the London Opera Comique, and ia also the manipulator and inventor of the Liliputians ; Miss Constance, a celebrated danseuse, who Illustrates the poetry of motion ; and Miss Devoe, Mr Fred Terrace, and Messrs H. and K. Rickards, burlesque artists.

Mr Hughes, who it will be remembered visited Dunedin last with Messrs Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove's Opera Company, has arrived in town to make arrangements for the appearance of Mr Charles Warner and a Btrong company, who open here in " Hands Across the Sea " on the 10th October. Mr Warner has been one of the most successful " stars " introduced into Australia by the triumvirate, his engagement of 16 weeks having extended to over 18 months. He brings with him to this colony a very strong company, and in addition to the drama just mentioned will produce among other novelties " Dora," " The Barrister," " Drink," " Captain Swiffc," and "Never too late to Mend." Mr Warner will produce at least one Shakesperian tragedy — namely, " Hamlet." Miis J. D. Knight, a popular Auckland vocalist with a fine contralto voice, has decided to leave that city for Melbourne. She proceeds via Danedin in order to enter her profession at the exhibition. Miss Knight ia one of our most popular vocalists and a leading member of our amateur opera club. A valedictory concert will be accorded her by our leading musical artists. The Chris tchurch Liedertafel have decided to visit Dunedin between Christmas and New Year and give two concerts at the exhibition in compliance with a request. The Cbristchurch Amateur Opera Company have received notice from Mr Uillon, Wellington, that Meßsrs Williamson, Garner, and Muegrove refuse to allow amateurs to perform any of Gilbert and Sullivan's operas for some time. The amateurs are indignant, and will probably contest the question, as they have always paid the copyright fees, with a view to seeing if such boycotting can be carried on when the fees are tendered.

Frank Lincoln bad a large audience at his last appearance in Wellington. Mr Lincoln had apparently recovered from his recent indisposition, for he appeared to be in capital voice, and created roars of laughter by liis somewhat trying if grotesque mimicry of certain operatio singers. The New Zealand Times does not stint its praise of the performer or performance. Of the former it Bayß :—": — " To say that Mr Lincoln is tbe raciest humourist who has ever favoured this colony with a visit is to pay him but a poor compliment, for we have never before had amongst us a humourist pure and simple ; but it may be said without hesitation that Mr Lincoln has Bet up a standard here by whioh all future lecturers of his class will be judged." This week's cables announce the death of H. B. Farnie, the well-known writer of extravaganzas and librettos. The immense payment made to Adelina Patti in South America rendered the engagement of sheep tenors necessary, both of whom have so signally failed that Nicolini, as he says, unruated his old voice, and confronted the footlightß again. But he met with no better luck than his immediate predecessors ; and salvation appeared under the form of Do Lucia, who made a very happy debut. Madame Laura Gundersen, the celebrated Norwegian actress — the Mrs Siddons, in fact, of Norway— has lately arrived in London, accompanied by her younger colleague, Miss Reimera, also a prominent member of the Obristiania Theatre. Madame Gundersen has done valuable servics to dramatic art in her native country. She is one of that talented group of Norwegian actors who received their early training at the hands of Bjornstjerne Bjornson, the poet and dramatist, while he was director of the Ohristiania Theatre. Madame Gundersen and Miss Reimers were invited by Mr Irving to witness the performance of " The Bells " at the Lyceum, A noted actress declares that she cannot live on £2000 a year, Lota of people are in the same predicament, but it iB because they cannot get the £2000. The Continental papers describe a souvenir of Mozart ; that is to say, the altc on which the composer played so frequently at the house of tbo burgomaster Einart at Leipsio in 1789. Tamagno, the famous Italian tenor, visits America under au engagement to Mr Abbey, of New York, the terms being £20,000 for4B performances, to Bing on alter aate nights with Patti.

Mr Charles Snyded, who in Jenny Lind's days, under the name of Asthon, was a great operatic favourite, has recently been admitted to the hospital at San Francisco. In his more youthful days, among the presents he received was a lyre studded with 27 diamonds, the gift of the Marquis Lafayette. Mr V. Frankfort Moore's four-act drama "Forgotten," which was brought out at the Grand in July by Miss Genevieve Ward, is decribed as "by no means an unworthy successor to ' Forget-me-not.' " The literary qualities are said to be far above the average. Colonel Ingersoll tells a good story of tbe late and lamented Larry Jerome. One day he was leaving a Saratoga hotel when the proprietor asked him, as a favour, to write a sentiment with his autograph, in the register. Uncle Larry thought a moment, and then wrote : " I came to this hotel for ohanga and rest. The waiters got the change and the landlord got the rest."

Referring to the Wagner craze a contributor to the Chicago Newß Bays :-r'* Now that the Wagner opera has adjourned sine die, our most distinguished local musical circles are getting their hair cut."

The death is announced at Prague of Edouard Stolz, who was conductor at the Ring

Theatre of Vienna at the period of the fire. He was the composer of several operas, one of which is entitled " The Mock Patti."

Stage realism has, perhaps, reached its height (or depth) in a play entitled " The Stowaway," recently brought out in America. In one of the scenes & safe is " cracked," and in order to ensure its being done in proper style "professional " talent was secured for the purpose in the persons of a couple of real burglars 1 A Western playwright is at work on a play which he calla " Big Lord Fauntleroy.' r It presents Cedrio grown to be a howling swell and being sued by an English burlesquer. Mr Hainish M'Ounn, the clever young Scottish composer, and Mr Joseph Bennett have finally fixed upon Sir Walter Scott's *• Waverley " as the subject to be written by them for the Oarl Eosa Company, to be produced next year. Five years ago Madame Carlotta Patti met with a second accident, falling downstairs and breaking the hitherto unlamed leg. Since then she has been unable to appear in public, and has supported herself by teaching singing iv Paris. When in her prime ahe Bad a very fine voice, of remarkable compass, reaohing, it is said, to the G sharp in alt. Tonina Adams, ihe little actress, is a bright child. The other day her uncle was complaining of liver trouble. To Tonina'a question as to where his liver was situated, he pointed to the spot where that organ is popularly believed to be. " Well, unky," said the little one, "if that's your liver, where's your bacon ? " It is stated that the veteran maestro "Verdi is engaged on a new opera, "Romeo and Juliet," and that the first act has been recently completed. The Berlin Courier states that at the recent representations of Madame Sembrich, at Krolls, the receipts for eight performances were £3000. This, of course, is a large amount for Germany. Mr W. S. Gilbert ia engaged upon another opera in conjunction with Sir Arthur Sullivan, to be produced at the Savoy Theatre, on November 1. Aa usual the strictest secrecy is preserved as to its plot, period, place, or title.

In regard to the recent discussion as to whether it is the correct thing for an actor, killed in the play, to respond to a curtain call, we would humbly suggest the new and unique plan of having the body earned slowlyacross the stage, to the accompaniment of malarial music.

A star actor-manager announces a live ourang outang as one of next season's attractions. If this march of progress keeps on we can hope for live acts in the naar future. Everybody will be sorry to hear the news which comes from Scandinavia about Madame Christine Nilsson's health. The famous prima donna, it appears, has become very delioate indeed. A short attack of illness has left behind a dangerous loss of mental power, and she is also Buffering from that most terrible of afflictions to musicians, the almost entire loss of hearing. Buffalo Bill is having a big boom in Paris. On a recent Sunday not only was the amphitheatre filled to overflowing, but admission had to be refused to at least 5000 people, who were eager to witness the sports of the Wild West. A telegram from Buenos Ayres, addressed to the Milan Trovatore, announces the successful revival of " Rome and Juliet," with Patti and De Lucia. It is said the receipts were £4000.

Mr Augustus Harris {produced, for the first time in French, Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette." This dull opera goes better in French than in Jtalian. although even now the monotony of the music is only too apparent. After nearly three hours of it, the audience began to melt away like a snowball in the sun, and long before the tcmb scene had finished, at about half an hour after midnight the house presented an almost deserted appearance. At the same time it must in fairness be admitted that, except as to the part of Juliette, which haa hitherto been entrusted to either Madame Patti or Madame Albani, and was now undertaken by Mrs Melba Armstrong, Gounod's opera has never been before performed with a stronger cast. Mr Jean de Ijtaszke, although not the boyish lover of Shakespeare, seamed thoroughly to realise the charaoter of Romeo as a middle-aged lover. He was not at his best in the garden scene but. on the other hand, in the duel, and again in the love duet in Juliet's chamber, he has rarely appeared to such ad vantage. Mr Edouard de Reszke was again a fine representative of the part of Friar Lawrence, and the minor characters were exceptionally well rendered. In connection with the Paris Exhibition an interesting experiment is being tried in the revival of various operas in the past. The first of these obsolete works (all of which will be mounted for one night only) is "The Barber of Seville" of Baesiello, which was performed for the first time at St. Petersburg in 1780, 36 years prior to the date when Rossini's comic masterpiece was first given.

By the following letter to the "American Musician," it would seem that Mr Eder was Madame lima di Murska's first husband, and that, despite the fact that the ill-fated prima donna had treated him so heartlessly, it was to him that the comfortß which surrounded her during the last few weeks of her life were due. The letter does infinite credit to the modesty of Mr Eder, and the public will rejoice that it gives flat contradiction to the rumour that Di Murska died in penury : -

" Vienna, May 15, " Respected Sir, — I received a few daya ago the ' American Musician ' of April 13, and there, to my astonishment, discovered that you had published my first letter of March 15. Proceeding on tho supposition that I am the father of lima di Murska, it would have been a piece of unnatural cruelty on my part if I had allowed my daughter to perish in need and misery. I am, however, not her father, but the father of her daughter, who, with most self-sacrificingdevotion,clungtoher mother. Di Murska'a father died before her, in 1888, at a very advanced stage of life. Di Murska had lived for a whole generation separated from me, and if the newspapers told the truth, she had after that period been married twice, to a Mr Anderson and a Mr Hill. The above-men-tioned daughter is a child of her marriage with me, and during the summer of last year she had in vain sought for her mother's address by letters and even with the assistance of the German Consulate she could not ascertain her New York address until Di Murska had landed in Europe. To pacify admirers of the eminent and talented Di Murska, I can inform them that she was placed by her daughter in one of the best boarding houses in the beautiful Maximilian Btreet in Munich ; and, as the inhabitants of the boarding house will readily bear witness, she was oared for and tended like a princess for the space of eight weeks, down to the end of her life, for which purpose my daughter had suffiicent resources in hand. According to the declaration of the medical men, Di Muraka might perhaps have been saved if she had returned to Europe some months earlier, but on her arrival she was already in a condition where all medical attertr tion and soience and all the devotion of her daughter were in vain. Now her ashes repose in a beautiful antique urn in the Crematory o! Gotha, with the inscription composed by her daughter ;—

The sound of tbe sweet voice is stilled. The Nightingale becomes ashes.

" There you have the secret of Di Murska so far as it is known to me, and you may make discreet use at your pleasure of this information to rectify false opinions.— With the highest eßteem, I remain, <fee., &c, Joseph Bdee."